Peer Review Process

The process of peer review begins when an author submits a research manuscript to a scholarly journal. After submission, the journal editor-in-chief does a “desk review” of the paper. At this stage, the editor evaluates the work for suitability for the journal’s scope, compliance with basic formatting rules, and conformity to basic scientific standards. At this early stage, a manuscript could be rejected immediately if it does not match these standards (a “desk rejection”). If the manuscript passes, an evaluation stage will be conducted by an editor who has competence in the appropriate topic.

The editor, following initial screening, invites and selects experts of the appropriate field—peer reviewers—to review the work. This stage usually involves a “double-blind review” that ensures that neither the author nor the reviewers know each other's names, to maintain total objectivity, subject to the policies of the journal. The reviewers read the manuscript carefully for a few weeks to check the technique, the theoretical framework, the integrity of the data, the originality, and the contribution to the field.

Once the evaluation is done, the evaluators present the editor with a full report along with a recommendation of Accept, Minor Revision, Major Revision, or Reject. The editor takes into account the opinions of the experts, considers any opposing comments, and makes a final decision. The author is then notified of this decision and also of the positive comments of the evaluators.

If amendments are required, the author must modify the article, react point by point to each criticism in a detailed response letter, and resubmit the updated document. For large adjustments, the editor usually sends the work back to the reviewers for another review but often makes the ultimate decision on small revisions. The paper is formally accepted for publication when the editor is satisfied that all scientific and technical difficulties have been resolved.